Church responds to government alcohol announcement

04 February 2014

Paul Morrison, policy adviser for the Methodist Church in
Britain, said: "Today the government has announced that it will ban
below-cost alcohol sales. This is a pale reflection of the Minimum
Unit Pricing policy, which the government originally committed
to.

"The government's own research indicates that today's policy is
40 times less effective than Minimum Unit Pricing. The same
research judged today's policy to be so ineffective as to have
"negligible" impact on the harm caused by alcohol.

"We are pleased that the government recognises that this is a
serious problem that costs the economy £21 billion a year and ruins
many lives. We fear, however, that the government's advice is
correct and that this policy will have a "negligible" effect".

"We urge the government to take the brave step of introducing
Minimum Unit Pricing. A genuinely effective policy, backed by the
medical profession, the research community, as well as by an
alliance of churches. The problems caused in society by alcohol
demand more than merely a negligible solution."